AFA Surrey & Kent Intermediate Cup Round 2 - 11th November 2006

Despite creating a hatful of chances in a game they dominated for long periods, Carshalton were grateful to their centre-back Andy Clower whose first-half strike secured their passage through to the quarter-finals of the AFA Intermediate Surrey / Kent Intermediate Cup where they’ll meet Witan of the Amateur Football Combination on 6^th January.  

Straight from the kick-off Cars laid siege to the Reigatians goal, resulting in several early chances, the best of these a 20-yard drive on 7 minutes from midfield anchorman Badgie that produced a fine save from the home keeper.  As the half wore on Cars continued to take the game to their hosts but all too often their over elaborate build-up play, especially around the 18-yard box, meant that the Reigatians defence weren’t made to work nearly hard enough.  Then, on 24 minutes the home defenders gave-up on Kevin MacLeod’s deep corner, expecting it to travel out for a throw-in on the opposite touchline.  However, the ball was kept in play by Cars’ Martin Vincent who did brilliantly to work his way into the penalty area before cutting the ball back to team mate Andy Clower whose angled shot found the back of the net having curled inside the far post via a deflection off a defender.  Despite having gone a goal behind the hosts didn’t crumble and therefore the proverbial floodgates remained closed, although the five minutes leading up to the interval might well have seen goals scored at either end.  Firstly, a 22-yard strike from Cars’ Sam Johnson went narrowly wide of an upright, and then secondly a great effort from a Reigatians forward brought an equally great stop from Ross Sinclair in the Cars goal.  Finally, the last chance before half-time fell to Vincent who from inside the six-yard box fired over the bar having got on the end of a cross to the far post, which the Reigatians keeper had looked to be coming for before deciding instead to stand his ground.

Cars started the second half as they had the first, which saw them as early as the 48^th minute go close to extending their lead – Paul Pearce putting Johnson through on goal where the young midfielder, with only the keeper to beat screwed his shot wide of the near post.  As the onslaught around the Reigatians 18-yard box gathered pace there was a plethora of chances for the visitors, which included an effort on 57 minutes from substitute Shane Bowes that struck the foot of a post, a long-range screamer in the 61^st minute from Billy Andrews that flew inches over the bar, and then two minutes later a Pearce header that was cleared off the line by a defender.  With 10 minutes of the tie remaining Reigatians began to commit an ever-increasing number of players forward in the hope that this would lead to a dramatic late equaliser to take the contest in extra-time.  The gamble here of course being that if Cars could catch their hosts on the break then this might well lead to them snatching a second goal, which would seemingly put the result beyond doubt.  And, from just such a break Cars fashioned a move that led to them winning a corner on their right.  When MacLeod’s corner arrived in the box, Reigatians struggled to get the ball clear, and in the melee that followed, Pearce broke free from a crowd of players to beat the keeper with a shot from six-yards but unluckily not the woodwork – the ball rebounding to safety off the underside of the bar.  In the closing five minutes, Reigatians right-winger, and indeed, probably their best player on view, made a last-ditch attempt to save the tie, but having gone on a dazzling run down the right flank and then across in front of the Cars 18-yard box, the young winger was unable to control his final shot, which Sinclair in the Cars goal was relieved to watch go whistling past his far post.  To their credit Reigatians kept plugging away but without ever really threatening again, leaving Cars to comfortably play out the final minutes before Mr. Weaver, the referee, signalled the end of a contest that Cars had won rather more convincingly than the final score line suggests.